1 dead, police officer wounded in shootout after traffic

2/1/18 4:41 PM

PEORIA, Ill. — A traffic stop in Peoria ended with a foot chase and an exchange of gunfire that left a police officer wounded and another man dead.

Police Chief Jerry Mitchell says the unidentified officer was shot in the mid-torso early Thursday and is hospitalized. The motorist, 32-year-old Daniel O. El of Peoria Heights, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

Mitchell said two officers in separate squad cars stopped El’s auto after a stop sign violation. After police removed a passenger from the auto, El allegedly drove off.

Authorities say El later exited the auto and fled on foot. Mitchell says officers tracked down the suspect and exchanged gunfire.

The incident is the second officer-involved fatal shooting in Peoria in the past five months. On Sept. 20, 2017, officers shot and killed bank robbery suspect Eddie Russell Jr. as he approached officers carrying a weapon.

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